The Puppeteer
by Nikuru
Summary: Can he really take control, or is Harry Potter forced to watch his life be dictated by The Man?
1. The Note Left Behind

The Puppeteer 

Disclaimer: I do not own HP or any of the characters or events associated with J.K. Rowling's ideas. This story is a variation from the original text from which I gain no profit.

A/N: May contain spoilers for the HP series.

Chptr 1: Puppet Show

The idea that my life is not my own, is nothing new to me. I've always known I was putty in the hands of another, be it my uncle or aunt or cousin. I served as a servant to my aunt and a punching bag for uncle while always performing as the scapegoat for my cousin.

I though I got my life back once I learned that I was a wizard, and was invited to Hogwarts. I dreamed of the ability to be my own person and become the author of my own story, this dream; however, was short lived. I found myself to be a hero in the eyes of the wizarding world. I was loved and hated, but know to all, I was in no way free.

Dumbledor became the man holding the strings, and I the puppet. He pulled and twisted and found myself unable to resist the call to dance.

But this has come to an end, I refuse to allow anyone else to hold the strings, I'm cutting myself lose and running for all I'm worth.


	2. Subconcious Waltz

Subconscious Waltz

Life is merely a graceful dance across the stage of time  
One beat of life to one beat of death  
Trials, Tribulations, War, Hate, Confusion, Peace, Love, Compassion  
All filling the intermediate steps  
As each footfall caresses the ground the Music evolves and grows  
Either with new knowledge of the body, soul, mind or of the heart

War brings about a confusing and uneven pace  
In which the dancers become ensnared  
They stumble toward the unseen sidelines and the empty chairs  
To end their last dance  
The others, the stronger resilient and new, pull apart and together   
Trading partners to empty faces, but never the same  
Reminiscent of the discarded weapons, strewn, prostrate, on desolate forgotten fields

The beat darkens and lightens as the pace ascends to it's crescendo   
The once graceful steps, turn from elegant dips, to swoons  
The gay contagious cheer turns to toxic laughter  
As each step leaves it's footprint on the rhythm of time

Who is this ball's conductor  
-it's keeper of the beat  
Not one soul knows  
for if they did  
Who would dance to the virulent song?  
They could then so easily change the beat  
And take history from it's know repeat:  
1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3...


	3. Musings of a New Life

A/N: I do NOT own Harry Potter. I am NOT making money off of this, but please enjoy.

Chptr 3: Musings of a New Life

--

Harry James Potter was lying in the cupboard under the stairs. He has recently been relocated due to his cousin. The issue was not the relocation but the fact that he had grown somewhat after his five years at Hogwarts. With this said, it was a tight fit.

At the moment he had no complaints. He was plotting and if his so called family thought he was safely locked away, then that made everything easier. He could hear them in the sitting room. They had already eaten, curtsy of Harry.

He was planning an escape at midnight. The witching hour may as well live up to its name. He smiled at the thought. He was going to be free. The catch was now not alerting his guards in order to evade Dumbledore. He wrote the note and poem just for spite, planning to leave it on the cupboard door.

Later that night Harry had drifted into a semi-conscious state that was interrupted when his relatives climbed the stairs to their bedrooms. Now he just had to wait for the chiming clock. It came quickly. Twelve chimes and a picked lock saw Harry standing in the hall. His trunk had never been un-shrunk from the train ride home. He remained in his muggle cloths although he clasped a dark clock with a deep hood around his neck. He carefully pinned the note to the door where it would not be missed and smiled. He took on last look around the house that he would never grace with his presence again and summarily donned his invisibility cloak. He quietly moved to the window he had left open in the kitchen. He slipped out without jostling the invisibility cloak and walked to the park.

This will be the one place I miss, he thought. It was a shame that it was a place that brought no images of friends or even fun to his mind. Instead he pictured solitude and peacefulness. He shook his head and started his hike. He would get as far as possible then find a place to stay for the day and set out again that night. Once far enough away, or at the point he was out of muggle money he would flag down the night bus and escape to Diagon Ally. Or at least so he hoped. It was more a skeleton of a plan then a set in stone means of escape. But he knew that he had to get away. He was not taking it anymore. He was going to be free, one way or another. And that would start with walking- till he could walk no more.

--

The fact that he had been walking for hours was not enough to make him stop

The fact that he had been walking for hours was not enough to make him stop. The cars drove by without taking notice of him, although with each pass he drew his cloak closer. He knew that the cloak was all that separated him for the world, discovery, and imprisonment. He had passed out of Little Whinning in the first hours. He had proceeded through the countryside and a second much smaller town. Now day was dawning.

Harry knew that it had to be around nine in the morning when he finally came to a village in the hillside. He had seen a road that ran straight into the tree line a few miles back and on impulse stole in that direction. Now he needed to find a place to stay and a way to claim back his independence. He decided that suddenly appearing out of nothing was a bad idea and walked a little way into the woods before removing his invisibility cloak and his wizard's robe.

He strode into town will a purpose, stopping at the inn. He knocked gently and a portly woman in a blue dress covered with a pale yet worn apron answered the door.

"Excuse me ma'am, Harry said as politely as possible, do you have any open rooms for the next three nights?

She smiled at him replying "Of course. It's summer but fewer and fewer travel here each year. Are you staying here on vacation with your family?" she inquired.

Harry looked at his feet and shuffled a bit buying time to come up with a convincing lie. "No", he replied with sorrow in his voice. "We stayed here once when I was little I believe. Or at least my mother told me so. I'm here on my own this time" he finished with a frown.

She looked shocked. "You look so young child. What are you doing here on your own?!"

He picked up his head slowly looking her in the eyes. " My father left my mother sister and I three years ago. We have no idea where he went or why and we haven't heard from him since. He told my mother he was in trouble, which she already seemed to know… come to think of it" he muttered.

In further explanation he added "I was eavesdropping, but I knew that it would be bad. We moved a lot those last three years. I can't even remember the telephone numbers and addresses" he put in to give him some wiggle room later.

"A week ago men came to our house and killed my mother. I took my sister and ran. They caught us though. They beat us both and eventually took my sister away. I escaped but couldn't find her. I then ran. I don't know for how long. An old women gave me some money and I took a bus to the town down the road and then walked here. I figure if I retrace my family's past I will eventually find my father, if those men haven't caught him fist. But I don't think they have. They wouldn't have gone after us if they had him." Harry finished.

He looked fiercely determined holding the eyes of the women standing in the door way. She was crying. She shook he head and gathered Harry to her chest.

"My poor boy." she sobbed. "You will stay here with me. I can help you find your father, but first you have to get better. I can still see the bruises from your capture!"

With that said Harry was ushered inside to a small but clean room with a bathroom off to the side and a balcony leading to the garden in the back of the inn. She looked him over.

"You look exhausted love. Go to sleep. I'll wake you later and we can talk."

Harry smiled, nodded, and climbed into bed. She closed the door behind her and Harry heard her walk down the stairs. Thank Merlin he though with relief. He had a good story that gave him enough room to maneuver in. Uncle Vernon's beating had been easily explained away and he now had a reason to leave after he recovered. He smiled as he slept, feeling at peace for the first time in a while.

--

The woman had checked in on him periodically throughout the day. He had heard her come and go, but hadn't bothered with moving. Now Harry heard her climbing the stairs to his room. He quickly jumped from the bed silently putting on his shoes and making the bed. When she reached the door he was already calmly standing on the balcony. She knocked.

"Come in!" Harry yelled calmly.

She came to him with a smile and gently reached out to brush the hair from his face. "Would you like to help me make dinner for our other guests?" she inquired. Harry smiled up at her.

"Of course!" was his enthusiastic response. "I love to cook. It's nice to be completely absorbed in something. And it's magical how you can take a few very different things and mix them together to get something completely different and tasty!"

She looked at the boy and smiled. At least he still cared about what he did. She could see that this was just an exterior though. He was very intense behind his shield of happiness and smiling emerald eyes. His smile never truly reached his eyes she saw. He was haunted by his memories. She was as well. Losing her child to a fire had scarred her for life, and destroyed her marriage, yet she was okay now. The boy had lost too much in to short a time she thought. Yet she smiled at his false cheer and his genuine desire and led him to the kitchens.

"I'm glad you enjoy cooking so much. I get bored of doing it all the time." A look that Harry couldn't pass in the fleeting glimpse he caught crossed her face. While looking off into space she stated "You'll be a big help around here, making up for the help I lost."

Harry frowned. She had not lost "help" in any way that it had quit or broken but in a way that it was never coming back. The emphasis on I meant she truly believed it was her fault.

"I'll do everything I can to help" he said. Her look made him amend the statement adding "to thank you for taking me in." They both smiled at one another and walked into the kitchen.

--

The conversation while they cooked was light. They discussed favorite dishes and ingredients. Harry served the guests, which were few. A young couple was staying for a week to get away from work and have time to bond for a while. An old man had booked a room for the whole summer and fall. He was writing a book and wanted solitude and inspiration. The three guests, the matron, and Harry made an odd group. No one seemed willing to speak to each other. After dinner the table was cleared and Harry went up to bed. He lay there thinking of what was to come.

"I know I have a problem. First I have to heal. Then I have to leave. But I also have to cover my trail. It must be odd to have a "little" boy staying her all by himself and people will be talking. I just hope the order and the death eater don't hear about it. So long as I'm out of here in less then a week I should be able to get away with not being noticed."

He frowned, sighed, and turned to his side drawing the blanket over his body. He calmed his mind and practiced what Snape had tried to teach him. I was much easier on his own, without a crazed man ramming his barriers ever few minutes. He felt the walls solidify further and with that fell asleep once more.


	4. Life Renewed

The Puppeteer

The Puppeteer

A/N: I'm still not making money and own none of the rights to Harry Potter- JK Rolling has then all. Please enjoy and review.

…Things Harry thinks are in _italics… _

Life Renewed

--

Harry awoke slowly. It was Friday. He had been here for almost a week and he knew now that he would need to leave. However he felt that leaving the women who had taken him in would be one of the hardest moments of his life. He had come to respect and truly love her, enough to find out why there was pain behind the joy in her eyes every time she looked at him.

It had been yesterday when he ran off to the townhouse and dug through the records of the past years. Harry had dropped the records when he read it. Her husband divorced her after their son had died in a fire that burned the family home to the ground. He had left town never to return. She had stayed, living in the pain and devoting her life to her job- taking care of others.

Harry's heart was breaking while he sat in bed. _She thinks of me as her son, and now I'm going to leave her- just like he did. I know that I won't return and there is no reason to delude her that I will. Even if I survive the war, the wizarding world is not going to let me leave. I will be their savior till the day I die and they will never let me out of their sight again. _He sighed. He cursed. He dressed and went downstairs. Harry planned on keeping up the innocence of the past week and upon seeing her, smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He went through the motions of cooking breakfast and serving the guests, she pulled him aside as he scrubbed the dishes returning them to their white porcelain skin in place of eggs and jam.

"Harry, what's wrong? she question kindly with a smile on her face and a gentle hand on his arm.

Harry looked her in the eyes and sighed aloud. _Here goes nothing_. "I have to leave tonight. I want you to know that your hospitality was more then I could have ever asked for… Your like a mother to me and I don't think that I can stay here any longer or, or I could never leave you. I have to find my father. He is in grave danger. I have clues that will lead me to him and I can find his friends along the way. I need to heal before though. You have managed to heal not only me body but also my heart and mind, and that is more- more then I could have ever asked for." He stopped abruptly with the last part a mere whisper.

She lifted his head silently commanding his eyes to meet hers. "Little one," she smiled, "I love you, just as you say I do- like my child. I will not stop you from going, because I can see that you will never let yourself live till you know the truth behind your father's absence and your family's death. But I will make you promise me this: that you come back to me once every year for a week in the summer. Just like this one where you relax and help me run my inn."

Harry looked into her eyes and nodded. "Of course" _That was easier then expected…_ "I can agree to that will no complaints. I will leave after lunch and simply plan to see you next summer"

--

He had been walking for half an hour in plan sight at midday. By this point Harry suffered a minor panic attack with ever noise, be it a rabbit, a squirrel, a bird or as he assumed a death eater, or maybe an order member…

"Bloody Hell!" he cursed for the fifth time in 10 minutes. _I need to find a place to hide for a couple hours. I cannot be walking around in broad daylight. I can't use the cloak because it's so hot… I would smother trying to breath under that think. The only improvement I can think of is that I have concealer over my scar and actual look fed for once… amazing what a week of food, sleep, and minimal stress can do…_ He smiled as he though of the fact that he had gained an inch while staying with Auntie Z, as she had told him to call her. Now he needed to find an area of brush or a tall tree with lots of hand holds to hide in. He peered into the forest flanking the left side of the road.

"How hard is it to find a good place to hide?!" he shouted at the trees. He had tried a few but with high and limited hand holds that had resulted in him giving up. The brush was limited because the canopy was so dense. Now he was in the middle of a forest and he wasn't sure which way was back. "At least its cooler in here" he murmured. "But I'm getting thirsty…"

He stopped and listened for a moment. Without his footfalls crunching the fallen debris of the trees he could hear the wind in the branches and the birds cooing softly. He heard footfalls as well, but lighter and more then a human's bipedal gate. Straining to look ahead he saw what made the noise- a deer and her fawn. He smiled as he watched then from the distance. The two ended up moving to the other side of the clearing where Harry realized that they were drinking from a spring. "Oh thank Merlin" Harry sighed. He headed off toward the spot where the two deer where walking away from.

By the time he got to the stream the deer had already moved off. He knelt down and washed the sweat off of his face and rinsed his hands before cupping them to take a few deep drinks. He noticed a wall of rock to his right and moved toward it hoping for a cave. There was one only a few hundred yards away. He approached carefully after cover the distance from the stream to the cave. He found a rock nearby and through it into the opening. No movement, no growls, no yelps of pain. "Looks safe" he murmured quietly and moved forward. He sat just inside and realized that he needed a way to find a way out of this forest.

"How did I let myself get lost?" he mused aloud. "I was following the road from within the confines of the forest. Where did I lose the road?" he sighed. And wished he could see through the canopy. _The sun rises in the east and sets in the west… so it's getting closer to sundown and I know that I need to go east. I just can't see the sun because the trees filter it at different angles. I can stay here till nightfall though and then check out the stars in the clearing. Thanks goodness I pay attention in astronomy..._

Harry curled up and promptly fell asleep; climbing through the brush had worn him out as had the stress of being lost.

--

Harry awoke to darkness. He wasn't sure why he woke with a start, but he knew that there had to have been a reason and he put up his guard. He moved farther into the shadows of the cave and drew his wand. _What if it's a muggle?_ He questioned himself. _I can't hurt one of them, unless he does something like shoot me… But a muggle won't believe that this stick is a threat. And what animals are in the area?! I didn't think to ask about that… I feel like an idiot. Okay Harry. Calm Down. _He took several deep silent breaths before artfully moving silently to stand on his right foot and his left knee. He knelt in the silence waiting like a coiled spring to lash out on an attacker.

What he had not counted on was the fact that the cave was much larger then the little section he sat in. Had he had better light he would have been able to notice that there was a half wall of rock that divided the cave into an exterior entrance and a large subterranean room. The rock smashing into the back of his scull had come from that direction, but Harry had not time to grasp this as he promptly fell into the void of unconsciousness.


End file.
